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1 Chronicles 5:1-2 – The First Born Surprise
I like reading biblical genealogies – they make for quick reading! The eyes just skim over names that the tongue would stumble over, so why slow down? The mind prepares itself for some numbing reading, eyes glaze over, brain disengaged….
Then bam! The brain kicks in because the eyes saw something other than just a bunch of unpronounceable syllables. Words. Real words. Words that actually form a coherent sentence. Wow! Time to pay attention again!
Biblical genealogies reveal surprises that appear out of nowhere. Mysteries can be solved, lessons can be learned, surprises can, well, surprise.
For example, Joseph is not in the lineage of Jesus. Did you ever wonder why God chose to record the story of Joseph which makes up 13 out of the last 14 chapters of Genesis? Isn’t the O.T. supposed to lead up to Jesus?
Yes there are many lessons from Joseph’s life of forgiveness and fortitude. And then there are the deeper type/antitype layers foreshadowing Christ. And yet in one of the many genealogies, we learn another reason why – 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 NASB (1) Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright. (2) Though Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came the leader, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph),
The story of Joseph is the story of the “first-born” who was not born first. In fact, Genesis is filled with that underlying theme: Cain, Abel, & Seth; Ishmael & Isaac; Esau & Jacob; Manasseh & Ephraim; Reuben and Joseph’s sons.
The first-born, according to patriarchal customs, was the cultural double winner – blessings and birthrights. The first-born received a double portion of his father’s inheritance, which might explain why two “lots” in the Promise Land were given to Manasseh and Ephraim.
Contrary to birth order and even paternity, through Joseph, his sons become the “first-born” of Jacob. And then on top of that, Manasseh who was born first, is replaced by Ephraim as the “first-born” (Genesis 48:13-20).
The first-born often disappoints in Genesis. Sometimes the first-born is replaced due to no disgrace on his own. Is this a lesson of humility? Of man’s ways not being God’s? Of appearance and reality not being equal? Are we to learn something about grace? Oh there are probably tons of lessons.
Messianic prophecy declares “I also shall make him My first-born, the highest of the kings of earth (Psalm 89:27).
When we get to the N.T., we see the emphasis on Jesus Christ being the “first-born” (Colossians 1), and even Jesus’ spiritual descendants being called the “first born” (Hebrews 12:23 – lit., “first born ones”). I wonder…did Jesus and His followers take the place of another first-born? Did another first-born puff “himself” up with pride? Did another first-born disgrace themselves? Find the answer and you get another surprise. (Exodus 4:22 NASB) “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Israel is My son, My firstborn.
We today, the spiritual Jews (Romans 2), the church, the new kingdom of God, are the first-born from the first-born.
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